Catching Eagle's Eye (5 page)

Dane grinned back. “Yeah, I like to keep moving. Afternoon naps and leisurely dinners are not really my area. Being a SEAL is a good fit for me.” He glanced around at the teaming throngs of sauntering people as if watching animals at a zoo.

Will had no trouble believing any of it given the man sitting across from him. In the waning light of the day, Dane’s face was cast in stark relief. It was all hard planes with a serious ass-kicking profile even though he was supposedly at rest. He was the one, actually, who looked like an exotic animal, caged and restless, watching the humans go by and cataloging them as prey. The fanciful notion, fueled by the buzz from the beer, made Will shiver in the cooling breeze. It wasn’t a fear reaction so much as one born of excitement. If he wasn’t careful, he’d lose himself in his growing desire for this man.

Draining his beer, Dane turned back to Will and pegged him with a contemplative stare that sent another delicious tingle down his spine. “So why physical therapy?”

It took Will a moment to snap out of his reverie and answer the question. “Oh, well, family history I guess. My parents were both in the Navy. My mother’s a nurse and my father was a corpsman.” He smiled as he recalled the family lore. “It was a bit of a taboo relationship in that my mom was an officer and my dad enlisted.”

“Tricky,” Dane commented.

Will grinned. “Yeah. They dated in secret for a long time, then when her time was up, my mother mustered out. They were married within the year. My father did twenty years, though, and I always had an interest in joining myself. They wanted me to become a doctor, but that was way too long to be in school for me, and besides, I wanted something more active, too. PT fit the bill.” He shrugged and finished his beer. “Seems like a good fit.”

Dane’s eyelids slid down as he gave Will a teasing smile. “I’ll say. You’re doing a great job with me and frankly have wonderful hands.”

Before Will could think of a suitable response to that very provocative statement, the waiter returned with a large platter of paella. Plates were placed in front of both of them, along with napkins and silverware. Dane ordered another round of beers as well. By the time they were alone again, Dane seemed content to let his statement lie unaddressed. Both of them dug into the food, silent as they satisfied their hunger. Once the worst of the need had been met, they slowed down and talked about general Navy stuff in between mouthfuls of food.

As Dane downed the last of his beer, he gave a little satisfied moan. The sound shot right to Will’s dick. “You were right; this is delicious.”

“Glad you like it.” He mentally kicked himself for not thinking of anything more witty to say, but then again, Dane didn’t appear to mind the focused eating and lack of conversation.

It didn’t take long before the platter was clear and the waiter was asking them if they wanted coffee and dessert. Dane ordered another beer for himself and looked at Will for an answer.

“I better have a coffee. I need to drive back and two’s my limit.”

“Don’t worry about that,” Dane said in a quiet, yet commanding voice. “I’ll make sure you get back safely.”

The promise sounded more like a vow, and the words wrapped themselves around Will like a protective cloak. It was so tempting to give into the seductive lure of it. He needed to be sensible, though. He already felt the buzz of the beer too much. He needed to keep his wits about him. Dane was a dangerous man on so many levels. Dinner had to stay just dinner or Will might find himself in trouble.

He coughed and forced a smile. “Um, thanks, but I better switch to coffee. And flan, please,” he added, looking at the waiter. It was a safer view than watching Dane.

“Flan?” Dane queried, forcing Will’s attention back to him. The SEAL had an amused look in his face.

“It’s a light custard. You should try it.”

“Maybe I’ll try some of yours.” Dane’s tongue ran around his lower lip.

Before Will could even imagine it was done to provoke him, Dane nodded in dismissal to the waiter. Once again, they were quiet until the drinks and flan were delivered. Still under the influence of the alcohol, Will playfully held up a spoonful of flan and offered it silently to Dane. Shaking his head with a grin, the SEAL declined the offer and sucked down some more of his beer.

Once Will was done with his dessert and had a few swallows of coffee in him, he knew the dinner was coming to an end. He wondered what would happen when there was nothing left to consume. The sexual tension between them had been intense, at least on his end. Perhaps the lieutenant had felt nothing of the sort. He didn’t think so, however, and the not knowing was driving him crazy after almost two hours of lounging around the dining table. He decided the best thing was to simply ask.

Leaning across the table, he looked his companion in the eye. “I’ve really enjoyed having dinner with you, but I can’t help wondering, why me? I mean was it just because we ran into each other?”

Such a loaded question. His heart jackhammered as he waited for an answer. He was taking a big chance. It could be that Dane had simply been looking for a little platonic company and the evening would end on a sour note, not to mention how awkward their therapy sessions would become.

Dane’s gaze was steady as he took another long drink. The corded muscles of his neck stretched tight as he swallowed long and hard. Putting his bottle on the table, the man leaned in toward Will. “You aren’t here because you’re handy, Will. I’m very particular who I spend time with, and I wanted to have dinner with you. No one else.” He looked down at Will’s lips. “You must know how appealing you are.”

The fast tempo of his heartbeat came to an abrupt halt as the import of Dane’s words sank in. Nothing he’d thought was going on between them had been his imagination or wishful thinking. Before he could respond, however, Dane sat back and broke eye contact. His thumb worked the label on his bottle while he stared out into the thin crowd still milling about outside the patio. Surprised by the sudden distancing, Will did the same and saw a couple of sailors saunter past. Oh, yeah, now he understood.

The way they’d been practically nose-to-nose moments ago had been too suggestive to maintain where other service members could see them. It wasn’t just about propriety, either. The SEAL wasn’t out, and while Will had already suspected as much and understood the why of it, he felt a bit sad at the reminder. It was simply one more reason why getting involved with Dane, if that was even on the offering, would be a bad idea. He was so done with the closet, had walled it up with bricks and mortar, even. He was never going back, not for anyone. Relief washed over him when the bill came. Dinner was over.

Dane snatched the check before Will’s hand got anywhere close to it. The man’s wallet came out and he handed cash to the waiter, telling the man to keep the change before Will could even object. Reaching for his own wallet, he said, “Let me pay for my half.”

“Absolutely not,” came the gruff reply. Then the man was up and carrying one of Will’s packages out of the restaurant.

With a sigh of resignation, Will followed. Although they were silent as they walked, Dane headed unerringly to where Will had parked his car. Will unlocked the doors by remote, and as they put the bags on the backseat, he gave Dane a questioning look. Dane shoved his hands in his front pocket and pursed his lips.

“I followed you,” he finally said in a quiet voice.

“What?” Will was incredulous. “You mean from the hospital?”

“Yup.”

Will shut the door and leaned against his car. “I don’t understand. Were you there for something and happened to see me?”

Dane rocked back on his heels and glanced upward. “Sort of.” He blew out a breath. “I was there looking for you.” Shrugging, he added, “You were on my mind.”

Will’s breath quickened at the confession. Dane had been thinking of him and had made a point of finding him, following him, asking him out to dinner. He should have been creeped out at the knowledge, maybe, but he wasn’t. Mattering enough to a guy like Dane that he’d gone out of his way to spend time with him was flattering. And arousing. Will’s cock had punched up hard at the revelation. His beer-fogged brain, now deprived of a certain amount of blood flow, told him to go with it, tell the man how much he wanted the guy to continue to follow him right into his bed.

The sensible part of his brain still worked well enough to make him shake his head. “This is so not a good idea,” he murmured, hating the words as they came out of his mouth.

“Tell me about it. I’m giving myself points for resisting the urge to approach for a few days. Believe it or not, this is me being conservative.”

Will shook his head. “You’re a patient, my patient. This is not ethical.”

Dane looked at him skeptically. “Seriously? You’re worried about that? Come on, you’re not my shrink or anything.”

“Still,” Will emphasized because there were ethical issues, more or less. And then there was the pink elephant in the room that could not be ignored. “You’re also not out, unless I’ve missed my guess, and I am. I hated hiding before they repealed DADT. I don’t want to hide again.”

Dane blew out a long breath. “Yeah, I get that.” He stared back at Will with eyes that did a good job of hiding the hurt. It was there, though, if one looked close enough. Being gay wasn’t easy for this man, obviously. The knowledge tugged at Will’s heart.

Closing the distance between them, Dane kept his gaze steady. “I know there are reasons why we’d be a bad fit. I get your ethics and I get your need to stay out, I really do. I’m not wired like that and not just because I’m in the Teams, although that’s a big factor. We depend on each other in a way most people will never know or understand. I can’t risk those bonds for anything. You can’t understand that, not really, and I don’t expect you to or blame you for not seeing it the way I do. But damn it all, Will, none of that shit seems important compared to this.”

With snake striking speed, Dane grabbed Will’s hand and pressed it against his package. A large, hard ridge met his palm. The man held it there for a couple of heartbeats before releasing him. “I want you, boy. It doesn’t get any simpler than that. The question is, do you want me, too. Despite all the reasons against it, do you want me, too?”

The question hung between them for long seconds as they stared at each other. Will had trouble catching his breath, and his mind flailed around for the right answer. In the end, he could only tell the truth.

“Yes.” The one word came out on a rush of breath.

The SEAL’s eyes lit up. “Do you live in one of the barracks or do you have an apartment?”

“Apartment.”

Reaching around Will, Dane opened the driver’s side door. “Get in and wait for me to drive up here. I’m parked nearby so it won’t take more than a few minutes. Then drive home and I’ll follow you there. Understand?”

When Will opened his mouth to say, well, he wasn’t sure what, Dane cut him off. “I want to hear, ‘yes, sir.’”

The stern command in his voice washed over Will. He had to shut his eyes for a moment to savor it. “Yes, sir,” he replied when he opened them again.

Dane nodded in approval. “Good, boy.” He motioned with his head for Will to get into the car, then shut the door.

With a shaky hand, Will started the car and waited as ordered.

Chapter Four

Dane had no trouble following Will back to his place. The ensign set a sedate pace, as if worried he couldn’t keep up. Of course, he was still tight on the guy’s six. God, Will was a natural submissive, and while there was a twinge of guilt over using that to press his advantage, his cock told him to get the fuck over it already. A hot guy was minutes away from being in his hands. He hadn’t had sex in months, let alone had a chance to play a scene with anyone. Perhaps he overestimated how the night would go, but even if it was merely a round or two of vanilla sex, it was hell and gone better than spending another evening with his hand.

When Will pulled up to park on the side of an apartment building, Dane passed him to find an open spot. As he got out of his jeep, the younger man walked up to him with his gaze down. Hell, but that simple gesture of submission sent Dane’s arousal into overdrive. He wanted to grab Will, shove him against his car, and take him right there. It took every ounce of his discipline, instead, to follow the guy wordlessly into the building, up the stairs, and into his small, neat one bedroom home. As soon as Will shut the door and put down his bags, Dane unleashed his desires.

He grabbed Will by his arm and shoved him up against the door. Will’s gaze flew up at the quick maneuver. For a moment, they stared at one another, Dane communicating his dominance with a ferocity he no longer wanted to hold back. If this night was going to go the way he wanted, it was imperative that the other man understand the rules of the game. His heart pounded and his breathing was harsh for the few seconds that their gazes remained locked.

With his mouth slightly open, Will breathed with equal speed. Then with a noticeable swallow, he lowered his gaze. The signal was clear. Will was submitting to Dane.

A growl forced its way out of Dane’s mouth before he crushed it to Will’s. Heat blossomed through his body at the first contact, and he wasted no time clasping the smaller body to him. Hard planes met harder planes as Dane twined his arms around Will’s back and ground their hips together. They were both erect, confirming their mutual attraction. Dane pushed his tongue into Will’s mouth, claiming him with this simple first step. The submissive’s quickened breath wafted into Dane’s mouth as their tongues chased each other. Grasping the taut globes of Will’s ass, Dane pressed him even closer to his own body.

With a pent-up hunger, Dane ravaged Will’s mouth, breaking the kiss to nip at his lips. The other man made a mewling sound and rocked his hips. Dane grunted as the movement shot pleasure up his cock. He was too on edge to take his time exploring Will’s body the way he wanted to, so he reversed their positions with a quick twirl of their bodies. He rubbed his hands up Will’s arms and clasped the man’s head to break the kiss. Will’s eyelids fluttered open, and he looked at Dane with glazed-over eyes. Dane gave him a feral grin before pushing him to his knees.